Bell shares memories of Former Chief Don Dixon

By Jerry Bell, Former Chief of Police

On Sunday morning, I read where the former Lake Charles Chief of Police and Former FBI Agent Don Dixon had died. It quickly brought back memories that I had of Chief Dixon. He was a cop’s cop. Fearless would not even describe Chief Dixon. I met Don when he was the local Special Agent in Charge of the local FBI office. I had shared with him that I was part of a team that had trained the FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) in the eighties when they were first formed. He was a SWAT team type guy, and with me sharing this information with him, our friendship grew. Everyone has a Chief Dixon story, and this is mine.

One afternoon around 2 p.m., FBI Agent Don Dixon called me at my office in DeQuincy and asked me to assist him in capturing an escaped murderer. He asked me to meet him under the Douglas St. Bridge just before dark. I asked him, “do you want me to get some more men to help us,” and he replied, “no, you and I can do it.” I figured he was the FBI so he must know what he is doing. I met him at the bridge around 6 p.m., we hid behind some bushes. About 10 minutes later this individual came walking down the gulley carrying a shotgun. Apparently, he had been hunting. Don jumped out from behind the bushes, said a few choice words, and the man threw the shotgun on the ground and Don handcuffed him. Don put him in his car, thanked me, took off, and never spoke about it again. This was a big deal for me, but routine, I guess, for Don.

Later, when I was one of the FEMA managers in Lake Charles, I would meet Don at the Civic Center walking path and walk and talk with him. He was one of a kind and really was a police legend. I know for sure that his officers under him respected and admired him for his accomplishments. I had shared this story many times with my fellow officers in DeQuincy because it really happened.

Rest in Peace, my brother in blue, Chief Don Dixon.

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